SANDWICH, Mass. The Heritage Museums and Gardens’ manicured walks, elegant architecture and fine collections of Americana reflect an understated intelligence and refinement that is a balm to the senses.

With over 100 acres of landscaped gardens that include historic plantings of rhododendrons and daylilies, a windmill and carousel, and museums dedicated to American history and art, the Cape Cod gem should be on every Rhode Islander’s list of places to visit.

It is also home to the Josiah K. Lilly III Automobile Museum.

Lilly, who was heir to the Eli Lilly pharmaceutical fortune, initially planned the museum in the 1960s to house his late father’s extensive collection of Americana, particularly firearms and miniature soldiers. Josiah K. Lilly, Jr., died in 1966.

At the same time, Lilly III, who died in 1995, became interested in antique cars and in just a few years assembled what is considered to be the most selective collection of American cars east of the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich.

Steven R. Hatch, the museums’ assistant curator of history, said the automobile collection contains so many outstanding vehicles and was formed so quickly it is probable Lilly had professional advice. “But no one knows,” he said.

The cars are housed on two levels in a round barn built in the 1960s, based on one at the Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, Mass.,

“It was designed to display the collection,” said Hatch. He said the museum owns 42 cars, 35 of which are currently on display.

The cars are annotated with short histories and interesting facts, including a comparison of the car’s price and the average annual income at the time. In some cases, the price of a car was three or four times the average income.

“It’s usually about a year’s income or a couple of year’s income,” Hatch said, citing a 1910 Sears Model P Surrey which cost $574 when the average annual income was $445 and a 1950 Ford Custom which $3,180 when average incomes were $1,590.

However, some cars were clearly way beyond the pocket book of most folks. A 1930 Duesenberg Model J Derham Roadster that formally belonged to Hollywood actor Gary Cooper, for example, cost an estimated $14,000 with a custom body, compared to an average annual income of about $1,390.

While all the cars are in pristine condition, most have been mothballed, Hatch said, meaning they do not currently run but can be brought back to running condition at any time. Nine of the cars are running.

Highlights include the 1930 Duesenberg, a 1909 White Steam Car Model M and a rare bright yellow 1912 Mercer Raceabout.

Race fans can compare the light and lively Mercer with its racetrack rival, the heavier and more stolid 1915 Stutz Bearcat, which is also painted a bright yellow.

On the upper level, vehicles are displayed in two sections. One is devoted to vehicles powered by alternative fuels. A 1915 Milburn Light Electric represents electric power. “It was slow, with a top speed of 20 miles per hour,” said Hatch, adding that it had a range of about 70 miles.

A 1909 White Steam Car Model M and a 1911 Stanley Steamer Model 62 Runabout represent steam power, a technology that lost out to gasoline because it took so long to build up a sufficient head of steam to get started.

The White Steam car has the distinction of being one of the first official White House cars. It was part of the fleet that President William Howard Taft ordered up in 1909 as automobiles started to replace horse-drawn carriages.

The second section displays cars as they would have appeared in car shows of the time, with black backdrops and huge overhead signs broadcasting the marque.

They include one of the few unrestored cars in the collection, a 1916 Brewster Town Landaulet with a luxurious enclosed passenger section in the rear and an exposed chauffeur’s bench in the front. The car has leather mudguards, a one-way speaking tube for the owner to bark orders to the chauffeur, and spectacular faux canework on the body.

The display also contains a 1927 LaSalle Sport Phaeton that was designed by GM style guru Harley Earl. Hatch said it is believed to be the only one left in existence. It sits next to a low slung and fast looking 1912 Oldsmobile Autocrat Roadster, complete with a racing monocle windshield.

And then there is the green-and-yellow Duesenberg that used to belong to Gary Cooper. Hatch said the garish color scheme is original and noted that manufacturers often used such colors to grab attention at the auto shows.

“It was said (bright colors) might get attention at the shows, but they would not sell,” said Hatch. “But when they got to the Los Angeles show, they always sold.”

A final upstairs exhibit has a Model T Ford set up so that visitors can get on board and get a sense of what it was like to drive or ride in the iconic car.

“Plus the older folks remember what it was like,” said Hatch.

Downstairs, the cars are arranged in chronological order, starting with an 1899 Winton Motor Carriage and ending with a 1962 fawn-beige Chevrolet Corvette.

Hatch said the 1910 Sears Surrey was a mail order car. He said it would have been delivered to the local railroad station in a box and assembled at the station and driven home.

Interestingly, while the Brass Era cars may appear fragile by today’s standards, Sears promoted the toughness and durability of its mail-order buggies with the slogan: “Going. Always Going.”

A rare 1915 Ford Model T Couplet was one of the most expensive Model Ts ever produced, Hatch said, adding that it was not a great success. “The price point was wrong,” he said. “Why buy the most expensive cheap car out there?”

The Couplet came with electric lamps that were powered by the magneto and thus got brighter as the car went faster. The bulbs occasionally blew out on a full downhill run!

A 1922 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost is included because it was built in Springfield, Mass., by the company’s American subsidiary, which lasted from 1921 to 1935. Hatch said comedian Jay Leno, now host of The Tonight Show, is reputed to have delivered the car to the museum when he was working at Foreign Motors West outside Boston in the 1960s.

A 1927 Lincoln Sport Touring is typical of the powerful and rugged cars popular among rumrunners, according to Hatch. “They liked the Lincolns outside the cities for their power and speed, and the Packards in town because they were quiet,” he said.

He pointed out its “fat man” steering wheel, which folds back to allow a stout driver to get in behind it.

A black-and-silver 1932 Auburn Boattail Speedster may be one of the most beautiful cars in the collection and is remarkable for the additional headlight set in front of the radiator that turns with the steering wheel.

Hatch said the museum is aiming to have a running car from every decade in its collection. Other than looking to fill that gap, he said the museum is focusing on refining the histories and provenance of its existing vehicles, adding that it has a major storage problem with a number of cars currently being stored off site.

At the same time, he said any outstanding donation would always be welcome.

“We are always open to donations,” he said, noting that last year it did accept a 1915 Ford Model T Roadster Pickup.

For more information, see:

www.heritagemuseum

sandgardens.org

pelsworth@projo.com